Rohit Paudel is not one for sweeping statements, yet the Nepal captain could hardly hide his frustration when we caught up with him ahead of the Italy game. The feeling, two years on from that near-miss against South Africa at the 2024 T20 World Cup, is simple: the fixtures he thought would follow never arrived.
“In two years it [not playing other high-ranked sides] shows that we didn’t get that exposure and experience which we thought we would get after that World Cup,” Paudel said. “I think that it is very important for us to get exposure and experience playing against some of the good teams and testing our skills in front of them, I thought we didn’t get that.”
Since the 2024 tournament Nepal have met only one Test nation – West Indies – in a short T20I series in Sharjah last September. Everything else has come against fellow Associates. The result, Paudel argues, is a development ceiling no amount of internal training can breach.
“If we get an opportunity of playing them regularly, in a year – not six-seven series but at least one or two series – so that we can test ourselves in front of them, that would be very good. So I hope that after this World Cup, it changes.”
Pressure to invite big teams
The 21-year-old knows the economics are tricky. Travelling sides need guaranteed revenue and Nepal’s TU ground seats only so many. Even so, he believes a short tour by a heavyweight side would make a statement well beyond gate receipts.
“I think it will mean a lot, especially if Australian team or England come to Nepal,” he said. “That will show world cricket that Nepal also plays cricket and it plays decent cricket. This World Cup has shown that. Last World Cup we played decently, this World Cup we [have] come back much more stronger. I think if Australia, England, India whoever comes to Nepal], our cricket will grow and it will help to globalise cricket more.”
England scare fuels belief
The argument gained weight on the opening night in Mumbai, when Lokesh Bam’s late hitting dragged England to the brink of defeat. A single boundary separated Nepal from chasing 185, a target most observers considered out of reach an hour earlier.
“Yes, disappointment is there, but I think as a group we need to see that the way we played against England, one of the favourite teams in the tournament, and I think as a group it gave a lot of confidence to us,” Paudel said. “We have been planning well, so now it’s time to execute those plans.”
Execution, he added, is becoming the watchword inside the dressing-room.
“As for the learning, I would say in crunch situations, when there is pressure, how you execute those plans, that is very important. We have played a lot of cricket now, and our team knows how to handle pressure. We have played in front of big crowds, so players know how to handle those situations.”
Global applause – but now what?
Social media buzzed after the England thriller. Dale Steyn, never shy with an opinion, tweeted that Nepal were “seriously good – would love to see them in a bilateral soon”. Praise is nice; Paudel wants fixtures.
Associate cricket expert Andrew Leonard sees a window later this year. “The next FTP cycle is being finalised,” he noted. “If Nepal’s board can package a tour with broadcast in mind, there’s no reason a Full Member won’t bite.”
The ICC has started talking about a second-tier Champions Trophy from 2027. It sounds promising, yet remains talk.
For now Paudel’s side must negotiate Italy, then their remaining group matches, with the same urgency they showed against England. Victories keep them in the headlines; headlines, they hope, force the issue.
Nepalese supporters still remember the heartbreak in Saint Vincent in 2024, when Gulsan Jha fell inches short of running the winning two against South Africa. That moment stung but also proved they belonged. Two years on they are still waiting for world cricket to say the same out loud – preferably via a fixture list rather than a tweet.
